Effect of Long-Term Exercise on Liver Lipid Metabolism in Chinese Patients With NAFLD: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Purpose: Using meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of various long-term exercises (more than 4 weeks) on liver lipid metabolism of Chinese patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and provides more targeted exercise recommendations.Methods: Four databases consisting of PubMed, Web of Science, China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database (CNKI) were searched up to May 2021. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were eligible, and the outcomes of body composition, lipid metabolism [including triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C)], and liver function [including alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)] were used to assess the effectiveness of long-term exercise on Chinese patients with NAFLD.Results: Eleven articles with a total of 13 data points (involving 1,006 participants) satisfied the inclusion criteria and were pooled in the meta-analysis. The findings demonstrated that long-term exercise decreased the level of TG [−0.50, 95%CI (−0.64, −0.36)], TC [−0.55, 95%CI (−0.92, −0.18)], LDL-C [−0.29, 95%CI (−0.43, −0.15)], ALT [−3.45, 95%CI (−6.78, −0.12)], AST [−6.91, 95%CI (−10.00, −3.81)], and body mass index (BMI) of patients who did exercise last more than 6 months [−1.55, 95%CI (−2.32, −0.79)] significantly. The effect on HDL-C was not obvious.Conclusion: Long-term exercise can improve the levels of TG, TC, LDL-C, ALT, and AST in Chinese patients with NAFLD significantly, and exercise last more than 6 months can decrease the BMI of Chinese patients with NAFLD.

Circulating Levels of Pro-Neurotensin and Its Relationship with Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis and Hepatic Lipid Metabolism

Recent studies suggest a link between pro-neurotensin (pro-NT) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but the published data are conflicting. Thus, we aimed to analyze pro-NT levels in women with morbid obesity (MO) and NAFLD to investigate if this molecule is involved in NAFLD and liver lipid metabolism. Plasma levels of pro-NT were determined in 56 subjects with MO and 18 with normal weight (NW). All patients with MO were subclassified according to their liver histology into the normal liver (NL, n = 20) and NAFLD (n = 36) groups. The NAFLD group had 17 subjects with simple steatosis (SS) and 19 with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). We used a chemiluminescence sandwich immunoassay to quantify pro-NT in plasma and RT-qPCR to evaluate the hepatic mRNA levels of several lipid metabolism-related genes. We reported that pro-NT levels were significantly higher in MO with NAFLD than in MO without NAFLD. Additionally, pro-NT levels were higher in NASH patients than in NL. The hepatic expression of lipid metabolism-related genes was found to be altered in NAFLD, as previously reported. Additionally, although pro-NT levels correlated with LDL, there was no association with the main lipid metabolism-related genes. These findings suggest that pro-NT could be related to NAFLD progression.

The Novel Hepatokine Ectodysplasin A Is Increased in Obesity and Reduced after Liraglutide Management

Background Ectodysplasin A (EDA), a new hepatokine, has been recently characterized to play a role in liver lipid metabolism and insulin resistance, but its physiological role remains scarcely acquainted in obesity. This study was the first time to determine the level of serum EDA in obesity, and to assess change in the levels of EDA after weight loss in obese mice.Methods We analyzed the serum concentrations of EDA by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 60 subjects including 30 normal weight and 30 obesity. Male C57BL/6J mice were fed with high-fat diet and injected by liraglutide to reduce weight. AML12 cells were induced by palmitic acid and treated with liraglutide. Quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot analysis were conducted to evaluate the expression of EDA. Results Serum EDA levels were significantly higher in obesity than in normal weight subjects. It was positively correlated with body mass index (BMI). More importantly, the mRNA and protein expression of EDA reduced after liraglutide management in vivo and in vitro.Conclusions The level of EDA increased significantly in obesity and decreased significantly after weight loss. It is suggested that EDA may be a novel hepatokine associated with obesity-related metabolic diseases.

Fructo-Oligosaccharides and Pectins Enhance Beneficial Effects of Raspberry Polyphenols in Rats with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver

In recent years, nonalcoholic fatty liver disorders have become one of the most common liver pathologies; therefore, it is necessary to investigate the dietary compounds that may support the regulation of liver metabolism and related inflammatory processes. The present study examines the effect of raspberry polyphenolic extract (RE) combined with fructo-oligosaccharides (FOSs) or pectins (PECs) on caecal microbial fermentation, liver lipid metabolism and inflammation in rats with fatty liver induced by an obesogenic diet. The combination of RE with FOSs or PECs reduced the production of short-chain fatty acids in the caecum. RE combined with FOSs exerted the most favourable effects on liver lipid metabolism by decreasing liver fat, cholesterol, triglyceride content and hepatic steatosis. RE and FOSs reduced lobular and portal inflammatory cell infiltration and IL-6 plasma levels. These effects might be related to a decrease in the hepatic expressions of PPARγ and ANGPTL4. In conclusion, PECs and FOSs enhanced the effects of RE against disorders related to nonalcoholic fatty liver; however, the most effective dietary treatment in the regulation of liver lipid metabolism and inflammation caused by an obesogenic diet was the combination of RE with FOSs.